In her book,Death Makes the News: How the Media Censor and Display the Dead(NYU Press, 2017), Jessica M. Fishman examines how death is presented in the media. Researching how media outlets present images of death over the past 30 years, Fishman explores the controversial practice of picturing the dead. Fishman presents the varying ways the press selects the images they choose to use, the way they make decisions of what images they use, and why. Her research reveals that much of what we think we know about how dead bodies are, or are not, shown in the media is wrong. The tabloid press is less likely to show a dead body, media show dead foreign bodies more often than they show dead American bodies, and the exceptions to the rules the media uses to portray the dead are not often altered. Well researched, with knowledge from editors and photojournalists about the decisions made around images of death, Jessica Fishman’s work gives readers new ways to think about the ways death does, and does not, make the news.

Rebekah Buchanan is an Associate Professor of English at Western Illinois University. Her work examines the role of narrative in people’s lives. She researches zines, zine writers and the influence of music subcultures and fandom on writers and narratives. You can find more about her on her website, follow her on Twitter @rj_buchanan or email her at [email protected].

&nbsp
Have you written a good book? Want to get the word out about it? Pitch us!

&nbsp
Six West Point cadets stole the Navy's mascot "Bill the Goat" before the Army-Navy game in 1965. They didn't get caught, but they all got sent to Vietnam. Tom Carhart, one of their number, tells the story in this terrific book.

Thanks For Listening to the NBn!

The NBN is a non-profit enterprise dedicated to promoting public education. All our hosts are volunteers. But the network has expenses. A lot of them. In order to keep providing the excellent author-interviews you’ve come to expect, we need your support. So please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the NBN. No amount is too small: $5, $10, or $25. It all helps us do what we do. For you. And did we mention it’s tax-deductible? To make a contribution, just click the button below.